Open the Project Browser on a job that's been running for a year. "Level 02 Copy 1". "L02 GA Plan". "Level 2 General Arrangement OLD". Two naming conventions and a pile of leftovers from duplicating views, and you've just been asked to tidy it before the next issue.
How renaming works in plain Revit
There are three ways to rename a view, and all of them work on one view at a time.
- Right-click the view in the Project Browser and choose Rename, or select it and press F2.
- Select the view and edit View Name in the Properties palette.
- Create a view list from the View tab (Schedules, then View List), add the View Name field and type new names straight into the cells.
The view list is the closest thing Revit has to a bulk option. You see every name in one table and can work down the column. You still type each name yourself, because there's no find and replace for view names.
One thing to watch. If a plan view shares its name with a level, Revit asks whether you want to rename the level and its matching views as well. Read that prompt before you click Yes.
Why the names matter
View names aren't only for you.
In the browser, the name is how people find a view. When half the plans start with "Level 02" and the other half with "L02", they sort apart, and someone opens the working copy when they meant the sheet view.
On sheets, the view name is what appears in the view title under the viewport, unless Title on Sheet has been filled in. A stray "Copy 1" in the browser can end up on a printed drawing.
Where it gets slow
A new office standard across 200 views is 200 renames. Each one is a click, a careful bit of typing and another click.
It's dull enough that it rarely gets finished. Someone renames the plans, gets pulled onto something else, and the sections and elevations stay on the old convention for the rest of the project.
Rename a whole set of views in one pass, with every new name shown before anything changes. The 7-day trial covers all 52 NexionTools add-ins and needs no card. Start the 7-day trial
Renaming the set in one pass
Rename Views is the NexionTools tool for this. It's a paid tool, and it's included in the trial.
It lists every view that isn't a template or a system view, schedules and legends included, laid out in the same folders as your Project Browser. Tick the views you want, or use the helpers to select all of them, none, or only the ones with "Copy" in the name. Then pick how to rename them:
- Template. Build names from tokens such as
{Level},{Type},{Sheet},{N}for a running number and{Original}for the current name. A template of{Level} {Type}gives every selected view a name based on what it is. - Find and replace. Swap "L02" for "Level 02" across the selection. It ignores case unless you tick Match case.
- Prefix or suffix. Add a package or discipline code to the front or the end.
- Cleanup. Remove Copy strips the trailing "Copy 1" that duplicating leaves behind. Trim Spaces collapses runs of spaces.
Every proposed name sits next to the current one, with a status on each row. Ready means it will be renamed. Error tells you why it won't, for example because the new name already exists on another view or two views would end up with the same name. You can still edit any proposed name by hand in the table.
Apply asks you to confirm, then writes all the renames in one transaction, so one Ctrl+Z puts everything back. If the change needs sign-off first, export the plan to CSV and send that round.
The limits are worth knowing:
- It renames views. Sheets are left out, because a sheet has a number and a name and that's a separate job.
- View templates are excluded on purpose.
- On a workshared model, views owned by another user are skipped without a message. If the result says zero renamed and zero failed, check who owns the views.
Naming is the first step in getting a drawing set under control. The rest is in our sheet and view automation guide.
Clear every "Copy 1" out of your Project Browser this week. Rename Views is in the trial, which gives you all 52 tools for 7 days with no card. Start the 7-day trial